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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — final
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — thin
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. last — to go on
  19. fall — the season
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chest — a box
  23. last — finally
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com